Writing
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There is something telling about the fact that the very day after Christmas the Church celebrates the Feast of Stephen, the first Martyr. more» -
Happy Feast of St. Francis! The hospitality of Franciscans has been a pivotal gift in my life, and I owe them much for helping to preserve my vocation and to sustain me when I made a flying leap into ministry beyond the local church. more» -
My hospice patients were dying, but they still longed for fresh air and birdsong. more» -
The gospel story assaults our sense of justice. More subversively, it challenges our conception of God. Isn't God “justâ€? Isn't God “powerfulâ€? Why didn't God protect his faithful servant John the Baptist, now in the despot Herod's hands because of his faithfulness to God's call? more» -
Taize counted us as adults, not young people, and we had a special place to meet and eat, with just a little more comfort. We didn't talk about denominations or our distinctive traditions - perhaps because the support of Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Churches, is now accepted, understood, and embedded. more» -
Over the river
the 'red' horse
is munching under the fleur de lis tree
its scarlet coat deepening ever slightly
into the most daring of pinks... more» -
John's Gospel is a stand-out work of poetic imagination. Not the fanciful imagination of Alice in Wonderland, but the incisive insightful imagination which penetrates more deeply into truth and reality. more» -
At night it was light and from the bed in my grandparent's house, I could look through the open curtains to the ocean and watch the midnight sun. Golden calendula marigolds grew in abundance in the garden, petals adding colour to home-made butter. more» -
In the Beginning, not in time or space,
But in the quick before both space and time,
In Life, in Love, in co-inherent Grace... more» -
The picture-perfect vista on the wall
was captioned in the style of Peter Pan – more» -
"I don't believe when you look around you're seeing ghosts but I do believe in the presence of the past. I was overcome with it. I was so totally moved I felt exhausted..." more» -
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We find ourselves with Mary, the mother of Jesus and the others who loved him, in a place of many overwhelmings this day... more» -
Blessed is anyone who cares for another's parent,
because the ex isn't doing it
or nobody comes to visit this elder,
or the old coot, crabby Naomi, whiner
has pushed everyone away. more» -
In the mystery of this week we call Holy, with its darkening shadows...might we somehow contemplate in the stories...the nearness of the wound to the gift? more» -
Try experiencing this Holy Week with all five of your senses... more» -
When the guests have departed,
the miracle has passed
and God has gone from his mother,
she scoops up the leftovers
to nurse in her lap... more» -
...perhaps we are glimpsing the imaginative stirrings, in some, of a Celtic soul, a Celtic consciousness... more» -
every living cell in and of its self
frets and chafes for Life... more» -
The wonder and the mystery of this gospel lection, and of Jesus' life, lie not only in how he gives his body as a sacred space but also in how he calls us to be his body in this world. more» -
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When time has gone
And Christians find an honest voice
To sing an honest song
travelers will come again... more» -
Has God forgotten the children,
has he left and turned out the light?
Can we believe to find him in the darkness,
can the children see him at all? more» -
The new song we would sing on Christmas morning is more a lullaby than a national anthem, it is a quiet, thankful song that longs for peace and rest and comfort, it is a song that sings of grace. more» -
Phone : 09 473 2600
Other enquiries : reception@vaughanpark.org.nz
Vaughan Park Anglican Retreat Centre
PO Box 89 085, Torbay
Auckland City 0742
New Zealand
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A partnership resource of the Diocese of Auckland and Te Pihopatanga o Te Tai Tokerau | Powered by controlroom.co
A partnership resource of the Diocese of Auckland and Te Pihopatanga o Te Tai Tokerau | Powered by controlroom.co